DE29901007U1 - Connector for the electrically conductive connection of an electrical conductor to an electrical or electronic component, in particular a printed circuit board - Google Patents

Description

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PATENT ATTORNEYS

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Stocko metal goods factories Henkels and Sohn GmbH & Co. Simonshöfchen 31 42327 Wuppertal

DIPL.-ING. WOLFRAM WATZKE

DIPL.-ING. HEINZ J. RING

DIPL.-ING. ULRICH CHRISTOPHERSEN DIPL.-ING. MICHAEL RAUSCH DIPL.-ING. WOLFGANG BRINGMANN PATENT ATTORNEYS

EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS

Date 21 January 1999

Connector for electrically connecting an electrical conductor with an electrical or electronic component, in particular a

Circuit board

The invention relates to a connector for electrically connecting an electrical conductor to an electrical or electronic component, in particular a circuit board.

Depending on the application, connectors are available in a variety of structural designs. They are used to reliably and, if necessary, repeatedly establish or safely separate a good electrical connection without the need for additional tools. For this purpose, connectors usually have rigid or spring-loaded contact elements in the form of pins or blades that are connected to an electrical conductor and interact with corresponding counterparts, such as sockets, to create an electrically conductive connection. Multi-pin pin or blade connectors are common, and can be used to connect, for example, several individual conductors or a strip conductor, such as a ribbon cable, to a circuit board.

Direct and indirect connectors can be differentiated according to their intended use. Indirect connectors are separate components with pin or blade connectors that are plugged onto a component with corresponding recesses. With direct connectors, however, the function of the pin or blade connectors is omitted. This is taken over by a substantially flat contact section of the component, into which contact blades are integrated for electrically conductive connection.

A disadvantage of the known connectors is that they are relatively complicated to assemble. This is due, on the one hand, to the fact that the housings for the connectors are often made up of several parts and have little space for the contact elements, which makes assembly and connection of the electrical conductor, for example with a screw or solder contact, more difficult. On the other hand, the known connectors are only suitable for fully automatic assembly to an extent that is not economically satisfactory.

The invention is based on the object of creating a connector which can be assembled comparatively easily with a compact design and reliable contact.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a connector for electrically connecting an electrical conductor to an electrical or electronic component, in particular a circuit board, which consists of a one-piece housing made of insulating material, which has at least one chamber, and at least one contact element made of electrically conductive material, which can be inserted into the chamber through a housing opening, which is made in one piece and can be locked into the chamber with the housing, wherein the contact element has a first connection area designed as an insulation displacement terminal for connecting the electrical conductor and a second connection area for contacting the component, and wherein the housing is provided with at least one groove on an outer side located essentially parallel to the plane of the insulation displacement terminal, into which a section of the electrical conductor can be clamped to relieve strain on the first connection area.

A connector designed in this way enables easier assembly compared to connectors known in the state of the art and ensures reliable contact with the electrical conductor in a compact design. The reason for this is the overall effect that can be achieved through the combined effect of the features mentioned above, which is reflected in a relatively small number of parts, cost-effective production and suitability for fully automatic assembly. While the one-piece design of the contact element with two

Connection areas lead to a small number of parts, the design of the housing with a chamber that is easily accessible through the housing opening for the contact element and the design of the first connection area as an insulation displacement terminal with the resulting advantages of the known insulation displacement technology contribute to fast and fully automated assembly. Furthermore, the groove provided on the outside of the housing and the resulting strain relief ensure a reliable electrical connection that can withstand the mechanical environmental conditions that occur over a long period of time.

It is particularly advantageous to provide the housing with a recess that runs vertically through the groove, through which an angled end section of the conductor can be inserted into the insulation displacement terminal from the housing opening. This offers the advantage that, on the one hand, the contact element can be completely retracted into the chamber and, on the other hand, the electrical conductor can be pressed into the insulation displacement terminal in the same direction as the contact element is inserted into the housing, making assembly easier.

It is also advantageous if the first connection area of the contact element has two parallel plates spaced apart from one another, each of which is provided with a slot open towards the housing opening to form the insulation displacement terminal. By forming the insulation displacement terminal using two slotted plates, a reliable and long-lasting contact with the electrical conductor is ensured due to the high frictional connection associated with it.

In a particularly advantageous development of the invention, a wall of the chamber opposite the housing opening is provided with a locking cam that engages in an opening of the contact element in order to fix it in the chamber in a simple manner. Alternatively or cumulatively, according to a further feature of the invention, the contact element, preferably the side edge of the plates, can have a locking contour formed by recesses and relatively sharp-edged projections in order to fix the contact element in the housing.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, several locking hooks extending in the direction of insertion are formed on the housing, which can be locked into correspondingly designed receptacles on the electrical or electronic component in order to secure the housing to the electrical or electronic component. The joining of the connector and, for example, the circuit board, brought about by the locking hooks, through positive locking and wedge action, ensures simple and fast, fully automatic assembly and at the same time guarantees a secure hold that can only be released by applying force with the hand or a tool. Advantageously, at least two locking hooks are provided, which have differently aligned locking lugs, preferably arranged at an acute angle or perpendicular to one another, so that the positive locking brought about in different directions in this way ensures a firm and relatively high-strength locking of the connector. At the same time, a coding can be achieved in this way, which can prevent an arbitrary arrangement and thus, under certain circumstances, incorrect polarity.

In order to be able to cast or overmold the connector placed on a circuit board with a resin, according to a further feature of the invention it is proposed that the housing is provided on the side of the housing opening with a flat support surface which largely surrounds this, which represents the underside of a lower edge region of the side surface of the housing perpendicular to the support surface, which is uninterrupted except for the recess for the electrical conductor. Since the housing in this way has no unnecessary openings or recesses, at least in the lower edge region of the aforementioned side surfaces, it is guaranteed that the housing can be overmolded or cast in a simple, fully automatic manner.

In a further development of the invention, it is further proposed that the second connection area of the contact element be composed of two spring arms, between which a contact pin protruding from the housing is clamped. This results in an indirect connector that is easy to assemble. The spring arms expediently form an essentially funnel-shaped receptacle for the toroidal central section.

contact pin so that when inserted into the contact element it is precisely centered over the middle section.

In order to create a direct plug connector, it is proposed according to a further advantageous development of the invention that the connection area of the contact element is designed as a resilient contact tongue which extends through an opening in the chamber into a transverse slot in the housing, which can be pushed onto a substantially flat contact section of the component provided with contact blades, preferably the edge area of a circuit board.

Finally, to avoid incorrect polarity, it is proposed that means for coding are provided, such as a transverse wall which closes the aforementioned transverse slot on one side and engages in a correspondingly designed recess, for example in the circuit board.

Details and further advantages of the subject matter of the invention emerge from the following description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings show in detail:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the housing from below of a first embodiment;

Fig. 1a is a perspective view of the housing according to Fig. 1 with inserted contact elements;

Fig. 1b is an exploded view of the connector in a view from above according to the first embodiment;

Fig. 1c is a perspective view of the contact element according to Figs. 1a and 1b;

Fig. 1d is a perspective view of the connector according to the first embodiment and a circuit board to be connected thereto;

Fig. 1e is a perspective view according to Fig. 1d with the connector placed on the circuit board;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the housing and the contact elements of the connector of a second embodiment;

Fig. 2a is a perspective view of the contact element according to Fig. 2;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the connector according to a third embodiment;

Fig. 3a is a perspective view of the contact element according to Fig. 3;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the connector according to a fourth embodiment;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the connector according to a fifth embodiment;

Fig. 5a is a perspective view of the contact element according to Fig. 5;

Fig. 5b is a perspective view of the connector according to Fig. 5 and a circuit board to be connected to it and

Fig. 5c is a perspective view according to Fig. 5b with the connector pushed onto the circuit board.

The plug connector shown in Figs. 1 to 1e according to a first embodiment has a housing 10 made of plastic in which two chambers 11 are provided, which are open on one side through a housing opening 12. Contact elements 20 formed in one piece from a sheet metal by punching and bending can be inserted into the chambers 11, as can be seen in particular in Fig. 1a. On the wall of the chamber 11 opposite the housing opening 12, locking cams 15 are formed, which engage in corresponding openings 24 of the contact element 20 in order to fix the contact element 20 in the chamber 11.

The contact element 20 shown as an individual part in Fig. 1c has a first connection area designed as an insulation displacement terminal 21 to which an electrical conductor 40 can be connected with the advantages known from the proven insulation displacement technology. This means that both a solid conductor that is already uninsulated and the stranded wire of a cable can be connected without stripping. The insulation displacement terminal 21 is formed by two parallel plates 22 that are spaced apart from one another and each have a slot 23 that is open towards the housing opening 12. The second connection area of the contact element 20 is made up of two spring arms 26 that are connected at one end to the side edge 25 of the plates 22 and are bent at the other end to form a receptacle 27 for a contact pin 30 that widens in a funnel shape towards the opening of the slot 23.

The contact pin 30 shown in Fig. 1b has a cylindrical holding section 31 that can be inserted into the receptacle 27 and clamped between the spring arms 26, which merges into a toroidally thickened central section 32 that centers the contact pin 30 in the funnel-shaped extension of the receptacle 27 when it is inserted into the latter. On the side of the central section 32 facing away from the holding section 31, the so-called RTM contact pin is provided with a polygonal connecting section 33 for contacting a circuit board or the like.

Fig. 1 and 1a show that the housing 10 has two grooves 13 on an outside parallel to the plane of the insulation displacement terminal, into which a section of the electrical conductor 40 can be clamped to relieve the strain on the insulation displacement terminal 21, as can also be seen in Fig. 1d and 1e. In order to arrange the contact element 20 completely in the chamber 11, the housing 10 is also provided with a recess 14 which passes vertically through the grooves 13 and exposes the insulation displacement terminal 21 in the area of the grooves 13, so that an angled end section 41 of the conductor 40 can be inserted into the insulation displacement terminal 21 from the side of the housing opening 12.

Furthermore, several locking hooks 70 extending in the plug-in direction are formed on the housing 10, which when the housing 10 is plugged onto a circuit board 50, as shown in Fig. 1d and 1e, are in corresponding

formed recesses 51, 52 of the circuit board 50. As can be seen in particular from Fig. 1 and 1a, the locking hooks 70 arranged on the sides of the grooves 13 are provided with locking lugs 71 extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10, while the locking hooks 70 formed on the opposite side of the housing 10 have locking lugs 72 offset by 90° and thus extending in the transverse direction of the housing 10.

In this way, on the one hand, a coding of the housing 10 is ensured that prevents incorrect polarity of the connecting sections 33 engaging in connection openings 53 of the circuit board 50 and, on the other hand, a secure hold of the housing 10 on the circuit board 50 is ensured. The latter is also contributed to by the fact that the housing 10 has a flat support surface 16 that surrounds the housing opening 12 and a recess 17 that widens the chamber 11 for easy insertion of the conductor 40 into the insulation displacement terminal 21. The support surface 16 represents the underside of the lower edge region of the side surfaces of the housing 10 that are perpendicular to the support surface 16 and that, apart from the recesses 14 for the electrical conductors 40, is designed without interruptions, such as openings or recesses, so that the housing 10 can be easily overmolded, for example with a casting resin, to increase the fixation of the housing 10 on the circuit board 50.

The embodiment of the connector shown in Fig. 2 and 2a differs from the previously described connector primarily in the design of the contact element 20 and the arrangement of the latching hooks 70 on the housing 10. As can be seen in particular in Fig. 2a, the spring arms 26 of the contact element 20 are formed on the front side of the connecting section 29 which connects the plates 22 of the insulation displacement terminal 21 to one another and has the opening 24, and are bent at right angles by a fastening section 26a arranged perpendicular to the connecting section 29. This results in a slightly springy design of the spring arms 26 also in the plugging direction of the contact pins 30, which makes it easy to insert the same. The receptacle 27 has an almost hyperboloidal cross-section and is formed by the

Fastening section 26a is arranged approximately halfway up the contact element 20.

The further embodiment of a plug connector shown in Fig. 3 and 3a has a U-shaped contact element 20 in which the insulation displacement terminal 21 is formed only by a plate 22 provided with a slot 23 and extends parallel to the spring arms 26. This parallel arrangement of insulation displacement terminal 21 and spring arms 26 means that the contact pins 30 and the end sections 41 of the conductors 40 also extend in one direction. This has the result that the grooves 13 clamping the conductors 40 to relieve the strain on the insulation displacement terminal 21 are arranged on the top of the housing 10, which results in a cable guide in the direction of the circuit board 50. The further embodiment of the connector shown in Fig. 4 differs from the connector according to Figs. 3 and 3a only in the arrangement of the locking hooks 70, whose locking lugs 71, 72 are also aligned in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction of the housing 10.

While the embodiments shown in Figs. 1 to 4 relate to an indirect connector, Figs. 5 to 5c show a direct connector. This differs from the previously discussed embodiments in that the side edge 25 of the plates 22 forming the insulation displacement terminal 21 has a locking contour formed by recesses 25a and relatively sharp-edged projections 25b, by means of which the contact element 20 can be locked in a chamber 61 of a housing 60. On the other hand, the second connection area of the contact element 20 is designed as a resilient contact tongue 28, which extends through an opening 62 of the chamber 61 into a transverse slot 63 of the housing 60. The transverse slot 63 can be pushed onto an edge area of the circuit board 50 provided with contact blades 55, as can be seen in particular in Figs. 5b and 5c. In order to ensure that the contact tongues 28 of the contact elements 20 contact the contact blades 55 of the circuit board 50, a section of a side wall 64 of the housing 60 protrudes a little into the transverse slot 63 and engages in a front recess 54 when pushed onto the circuit board 50.

The previously described embodiments of an indirect and direct connector are characterized by a compact design and reliable contact. The latter is mainly due to the fact that in each embodiment means are provided for coding to prevent incorrect polarity and strain relief grooves 13 are present. Since the connection areas of the contact element 20 are designed on the one hand as an insulation displacement terminal 21 and on the other hand as a spring arm 26 or contact tongue 28 that makes contact easy, a comparatively simple assembly of the connector is ensured. Last but not least, the locking hooks 70 present in the embodiments according to Figs. 1 to 4 lead to a secure fastening of the connector on the circuit board 50.

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List of reference symbols

10 Housing 33 Connection termination 11 chamber 12 Housing opening 40 Director 13 Groove 41 End section 14 Recess 15 Locking cams 50 Circuit board 16 Support surface 51 Recess 17 Recess 52 Recess 53 Connection opening 20 Contact element 54 Recess 21 Insulation clamp 55 Contact lamella 22 plate 23 slot 60 Housing 24 opening 61 chamber 25 Page margin 62 opening 25a Recess 63 Cross slot 25b head Start 64 Side wall 26 Spring arm 26a Mounting section 70 Latching hook 27 Recording 71 locking lug 28 Contact tongue 72 locking lug 29 Connecting section 30 Contact pin 31 Holding section 32 Middle section

Claims (12)

Expectations 1. Plug connector for electrically conductively connecting an electrical conductor (40) to an electrical or electronic component, in particular a circuit board (50), comprising a one-piece housing (10, 60) made of insulating material, which has at least one chamber (11, 61), and at least one contact element (20) made of electrically conductive material, which can be inserted into the chamber (11, 61) through a housing opening (12, 62), which is formed in one piece and can be locked into the chamber (11, 61) with the housing (10, 60), wherein the contact element (20) has a first connection area, designed as an insulation displacement terminal (21), for connecting the electrical conductor (40) and a second connection area (26, 27) for contacting the component (50), and wherein the housing (10, 60) is provided on an outer side located essentially parallel to the plane of the insulation displacement terminal (21). is provided with at least one groove (13) into which a portion of the electrical conductor (40) can be clamped for strain relief of the first connection area. 2. Connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (10, 60) is provided with a recess (14) which extends vertically through the groove (13) and through which an angled end section (41) of the conductor (40) can be inserted into the insulation displacement terminal (21) from the side of the housing opening (12, 62). 3. Connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first connection area of the contact element (20) has two spaced-apart, parallel plates (22) which are each provided with a slot (23) open towards the housing opening (12, 62) to form the insulation clamp (21). 4. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a wall of the chamber (11, 61) opposite the housing opening (12, 62) is provided with a locking cam (15) which engages in an opening (24) of the contact element (20). 5. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the contact element (20), preferably the side edge (25) of the plates (22), has a locking contour formed by recesses (25a) and relatively sharp-edged projections (25b). 6. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a plurality of locking hooks (70) extending in the plugging direction are formed on the housing (10) and can be locked into correspondingly designed receptacles (51, 52) on the electrical or electronic component (50) in order to fix the housing (10) to the electrical or electronic component (50). 7. Connector according to claim 6, characterized in that at least two locking hooks (70) are provided, which have differently aligned locking lugs (71, 72) preferably arranged at an acute angle or perpendicular to one another. 8. Connector according to one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the housing (10) is provided on the side of the housing opening (12) with a flat support surface (16) which largely surrounds the latter and which represents the underside of a lower edge region of the side surfaces of the housing (10) perpendicular to the support surface (16) which is uninterrupted except for the recess for the electrical conductor (40). 9. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the second connection area of the contact element (20) is composed of two spring arms (26), between which a contact pin (30) protruding from the housing (10) is clamped. 10. Connector according to claim 9, characterized in that the spring arms (26) form a substantially funnel-shaped receptacle (27) for the contact pin (30) having a toroidal central section. 11. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the second connection area of the contact element (20) is designed as a resilient contact tongue (28) which extends through an opening (62) of the chamber (61) into a transverse slot (63) of the housing (60) which can be pushed onto a substantially flat contact section of the component provided with contact blades (55), preferably the edge area of a circuit board (50). 12. Connector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that means for coding are provided. R/SC/li